Study on non-legislative initiatives for companies to promote gender ...

Gender equality initiatives 65
• Firstly, the company had to undergo a diagnosis of its status with a view to
gender equality issues in different areas (selection, training, promotion, reconciliation,
salaries, etc.). This analysis process was accompanied by the Institute
of the Woman, the main implementing organisation of the label, by providing a
structured and detailed questionnaire. Furthermore, in order to get qualitative
information and clarify the available data, a meeting between the Human
Resources Department and representatives of the Institute of the Woman had to
be held.
• Secondly, a “Positive Action Plan” had to be designed implemented. This plan
should include training of managers on equality of opportunities, revision of the
hiring, selection, promotion and training processes, work flexibility for workers
with family responsibilities, and launching of awareness campaigns in order to
promote gender equality. The Institute of the Woman offered all the required
support, advice, training and tools so that the companies could design their own
plans. Once the plans had been successfully implemented, the Institute of the
Woman recognised the effort by awarding them the label “Entity collaborating
on equality of opportunities amongst Women and Men”.
After being in force for twelve years, and with the publication of the Organic Law 3/2007
(known as “Equality Law”), the Optima was repealed as it was conceived as a
precursor to the current Equality Law. According to the new regulation, companies with
more than 250 employees are obliged to implement Equality Plans within their
organisations and this is directly supervised by the Ministry of Equality. Concerning
SMEs, the Ministry has put in place financial support to help those companies who are
interested in applying Equality Plans voluntarily.
An example for a regional initiative is “EQ-Z-Län” (EQ-Z-County) which stands for equal
opportunities in Jämtland County in Sweden. Regional companies labelled had to set
up an internal working group on gender equality and have a goal-oriented work towards
gender equality in working life and implement gender equality measures within several
areas. Whereas this initiative finished in 2006, Malta is currently planning the launching
of a label and a certification process is being developed under the initiative “Unlocking
the female potential”.
Labels for reconciliation of work and family
Based on the German “Audit berufundfamilie” (work and family audit) the “European
work&family audit” has been launched in 2001 and can be also found in an adapted
form considering the national framework conditions in Austria (“Audit berufundfamilie”),
in Italy/South Tyrol (“audit beruf&familie – famiglia&lavoro”) and in Slovenia (“Družini
prijazno podjetje“). Based on the experiences in these countries a similar label was
designed and implemented in the framework of an ESF-funded project in Slovakia
(“Rodina a práca - audit pre zosúladenie práce, rodiny a podpora rodovej rovnosti” –
Family and Work – audit for balancing work, family and support of gender equality).